Secret Avengers #8 Review

The Secret Avengers' latest mission -- assassinating A.I.M.'s Scientist Supreme -- didn't exactly go as planned in the previous storyline. Issue #8 opens with Mockingbird trapped behind enemy lines, still disguised as an A.I.M. scientist, and having no memory of how she got their in the first place. The fact that Nick Spencer is treating this as an ongoing development rather than a cliffhanger in need of immediate resolution is one of his most inspired choices yet on the book. Instead of a rescue mission, issue #9 is a quieter look at life for the drones and command crew alike on A.I.M. Island.

This approach allows Spencer to shine a light on the Ministers of A.I.M., many of whom haven't really factored into the series since they were brought together in issue #2. It's an eclectic cast that allows Spencer to bounce between humor in Taskmaster's case, political intrigue with Graviton and Superia, and outright horror with Jude the Entropic Man. The issue becomes a bit disjointed as it bounces from one set of characters to the next, but it always remains entertaining.

And the highlight of the issue is easily those scenes focused on Bobbi attempting to blend in. Spencer takes a very psychological route, with Bobbi beginning to question her very memories and whether she is, in fact, a female Avenger caught behind enemy lines or just one really confused scientist. For a character who who had all but dropped off the map again before this series debuted, it's great to see her back in the spotlight and in such a creative new state. Hopefully Spencer plans on drawing this out for a while.

Luke Ross is in sole charge of the art this month, and the results are solid all-around. His strongest pages focus on Jude and his Dark Tower-esque lair, where surreal fantasy quickly morphs into all-out horror. In general, Ross does a great job of mixing the usual black ops aesthetic with more surreal flights of fancy. At this point, any fears that this series would ignore the quirky, oddball elements that made Rick Remender's Secret Avengers work so memorable have receded.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com